Although preschool-aged children with diabetes might be at increased risk for both general and disease-specific psychological adjustment difficulties, this issue has not been investigated. We evaluated both general and diabetes-related adjustment of 20 preschool-aged children and their mothers. The mothers completed the Child Behavior Checklist, Parenting Stress Index, Parents' Diabetes Opinion Survey, and the Preschool D abetes Behavior Checklist. The latter measure was constructed specifically for this study to measure the frequency of oppositional and avoidance behaviors of children regarding diabetes management tasks. Mothers reported that their children displayed significantly more i ternalizing behavior problems (anxiety, depression, withdrawal) and were a significantly greater source of parental stress compared with corresponding nondiabetic normative group samples. Also, certain maternal attitudes about diabetes and its treatment were correlated with the children's disease-specific behavior problems. The children's general psychological adjustment, however, was not predictive of these diabetes-specific behavior problems.
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Original Articles|
September 01 1989
Adjustment to Diabetes Mellitus in Preschoolers and Their Mothers
Tim Wysocki, PhD;
Tim Wysocki, PhD
Department of Pediatrics, Ohio State University; and Children's Hospital
Columbus, Ohio
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Karen Huxtable, BS;
Karen Huxtable, BS
Department of Pediatrics, Ohio State University; and Children's Hospital
Columbus, Ohio
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Thomas R Linscheid, PhD;
Thomas R Linscheid, PhD
Department of Pediatrics, Ohio State University; and Children's Hospital
Columbus, Ohio
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Wynola Wayne, RN
Wynola Wayne, RN
Department of Pediatrics, Ohio State University; and Children's Hospital
Columbus, Ohio
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Address correspondence and reprint requests to Tim Wysocki, PhD, Children's Hospital, Room F-241, 700 Children's Drive, Columbus, OH 43205.
Citation
Tim Wysocki, Karen Huxtable, Thomas R Linscheid, Wynola Wayne; Adjustment to Diabetes Mellitus in Preschoolers and Their Mothers. Diabetes Care 1 September 1989; 12 (8): 524–529. https://doi.org/10.2337/diacare.12.8.524
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